Physical performance and plasma metabolic profile as potential prognostic factors in metastatic lung cancer patients

Background Low physical performance is associated with higher mortality rate in multiple pathological conditions. Here, we aimed to determine whether body composition and physical performance could be prognostic factors in non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Moreover, we performed an exploratory approach to determine whether plasma samples from NSCLC patients could directly affect metabolic and structural phenotypes in primary muscle cells. Methods This prospective cohort study included 55 metastatic NSCLC patients and seven age‐matched control subjects. Assessments included physical performance, body composition, quality of life and overall survival rate. Plasma samples from a sub cohort of 18 patients were collected for exploratory studies in cell culture and metabolomic analysis. Results We observed a higher survival rate in NSCLC patients with high performance in the timed up‐and‐go (+320%; p = .007), sit‐to‐stand (+256%; p = .01) and six‐minute walking (+323%; p = .002) tests when compared to NSCLC patients with low physical performance. There was no significant association for similar analysis with body composition measurements (p > .05). Primary human myotubes incubated with plasma from NSCLC patients with low physical performance had impaired oxygen consumption rate (−54.2%; p